Improvement in magnetic telegraphs



MAGNETIC TBLBGRAPH.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OHAS. KIROHHOF, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND LEONARDI.

srIAEs'rEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGNETlC TELEGRAPHS.

Specication formingpart of Letters Patent No. 51,@61, dated November 2S,1865.

'and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists, rst, in the construction of aninstrumentloy which communications may be transmitted to indicate thechanges or variations that take place in any body or thing, and, second,in arrangy. ing the receiving instrument to be set or properly adjustedby the action of the transmitting instrument.

The 'principle of my invention consistsin applying the electric currentor currents to the helix or helices of the receiving-instrument in twodirections, and in such a manner that, as the variations to be indicatedadvance or retrograde from a fixed or fgiven point, state or conditionthe operation of the mechanism shall be made to undergo a correspondingautomatic change for the purpose of correctly indicating or recordingsaid variations.

To enable others skilled in the arts to construct and operate myiuvention,ll will proceed to describe it. 1 Figures 1 and 2 represent aVreceiving-instrument constructed on the plan of my invention, and Fig. 3is a modification of the same. Fig. et represents atransmitting-instrument to be used in connection therewith, and forminga part of my invention..

lu Fig. 7 I have represented the Stoehrer relay-magnet, used forreceiving messages by a double-recording instrument, an d which consistsof two permanenthorseshoefmagnets, arranged parallel with each other, asshown by O and P of Fig. G, and having their poles reversed, Oindicating the positive pole of the one on the right, and B the positivepole of the one on theleft, as shown in Fig. 6, O and l? indicatingtheir negative poles. Midway hetween and parallel with these twopermanent magnets is placed a temporary magnet of the ordinaryconstruction, the helix of which is connected with the battery, so thatany eurrent sent therefrom must atect it. Between the two arms of 'thepermanent magnet on the right a bar, G, is pivoted p at top andbottom.Bigidly attached to this bar G are two arms, N and S', which projectlaterally far enough to bring their ends directly opposite the face ofthe polesot the temporary magnet, as clearly shown in Fig. Il, thepermanentmagnet on the left being similarly provided with a pivoted bar,H, having the arms S2 and N2 attached thereto in the manner alreadydescribed. An arm or pin, p, projects from the pivoted bar G on theinside, at right angle to the arms N and S', asimilar arm,p, beingattached to bar EI ou the left, and to the inner ends of these arms pandp a spiral spring, R, is attached, which, by drawing the two arms inwardtoward each other, serves to keep the arms S and N on the right, and S2and N2 on the left, thrown out away from the poles of the temporarymagnet, except when attracted thereto by the current of electricity.These parts constitute the Stoehrer instrument, which l propose to usein connection with certain other improvements and deviceshereinafterexplained.

lEig. 2 represents my improved indicatinginstrument, of which Ais theframe and B the driving-wheel, operated by a weight or spring in theusual manner. Above the wheel B is located a shaft, a, provided with asmall wheel (not shown) into which wheel B gears. An escape-wheel issecured upon the same shaft having but a small number of arms or points,

one of 4which is represented by b. The end of shaft a protrudes throughthe frame A, and upon this shaft in front of the frame is pivoted theoscillating plate c, to which are securedthe reversing gear-wheels e, d,and e, to which motion is imparted by the wheel c secured rigidly uponthe outer'end of shaft a, as shown. The wheels e and e" are so locatedthat they are alternately thro-wn in and out of gear with the wheel ordislrC, according as the plate c is moved or made to oscillate in one orthe other direction, as hereinafter described.

Any other reversing mechanism may be used instead of that heredescribed, and made to produce the same result.

By these means the disk G may be made to revolve in either direction atpleasure, and the pointer f, which is rigidly connected thereto, will.be moved with it and made to pass by and point lto a series of numbers,characters,

or signs arranged in a circle around the disk one or the otherdirection,which may be done by attaching a cord, Z', to the style l),and having` the opposite end ot' the cord attached to and winding`around thejournal or pivot ot' the indexf, as shown in Fig.2, or by anysimilar device. It' the style D be used, itV should lie-provided with aseries ot numbers, characters, or signs, which will thus pass orre-pass' a stationary index, or it may beprovided with an index orpointer, g, or pencitpoint, which shall rub against the surface ot' thecylinder E, which may be operated by any suitable clock-work. By thislast means the pencilpoint will be iliade to trace upon the surface ot',the cylinder lil a line which shall exactly represent or record theuiidulations or movements ofthe index or pencil g.

A rock-shaft, F, is mounted in bearings above the rela y-magnet (alreadyrel'erred to) in such a manner that it shall have a slight toand-fromovement when desired, and Vto the en'd of this shaft F is secured apallet, h, so

located as to engage with the arms or points b of the escape-wheel, andthus regulate the movements of the latter, as shown in Fig. 2.

To the center of rock-shaft F is rigidly se` 'point said rod terminatesin a curved flat piece, 7.', shown in dotted lines on disk C. In thispiece k a notch is made, as shown in Fi g. 5, into which a pinprojecting fromthe rear face of disk C enters when the disk is rotatedin the direction of the black arrow, and as the pin enters the notch itmoves the rod j, and with it the shaft F, a short distance to the right,whereby the arm t' with its cross-head is moved so far to the right thatit can only be hit by the pin a2 on arm N', the rotation of The disk Cand index f being arrested at the same instant bythe pin on the back ofthe disk entering the notch in 7.', as already described.

From the front ot' the upright rock-shafts G and Hproject, in ahorizontal position, two rigid arms, Z and m, one from each, which armsserve to move the rod a to the right or lett, as one or the other ofthem may be operated; and this rod a, bein g pivoted at one end, to theoscillating plate c, serves to throw the reversing gear-wheels e and e,in or out of gear with disk G, and thus cause the latter to rotate inone or the other direction, according as rod a is moved to the right orleft, and thus the disk C is caused to automatically chan ge thereversing-gear, by which the disk is made to rotate to the right or tothe lett.

When the current is sent in one direction, the magnet l I will operatethe shaft G by means ot' the arms N and S', in which case the rod nvwill be shoved to the left by arm l, and the disk G made to rotateiii-the direction indicated by the red arrow. Then the current is sentin'the opposite direction the arms S2 and N2 will be operated bythemagnet I I',4

in which case rod a will be' shoved to the right, thereby causing` thedisk C to rotate in the reverse direct-ion, as indicated by the blackarrow, it being understood that said disk C can make but a singlerevolution in either direction, when it is stopped by the pin on'theback thereof coming in contact with the piece k attached to rod j.

Upon shaft F is loosely pivoted another lever, i2, which, when shaft Fis moved to the right, is brought into position to be operated by thepinaZ attached to arm s2. By means of this lever i2 communications of theordinary cha acter mayl be transmitted at pleasure without in any mannerinterfering with theindicating-instrumcnt shown in Fig. 2, the latterremaining ready for instant use whenever desired.

Fig. 8 represents a modilication of the indicating-instrument alreadydescribed. J repa wheel or disk provided with ratchet-teeth on itsperiphery. An oscillating armature, K, is operated by two magnets orhelices, and to this armature K is pivoted two pawls, so arranged thatwhen the current is sent to one ot the magnets the pawls on that sideshall be made to operate the disk J and cause it to rotateiu onedirection, and when sent into the opposite magnet the corresponding pawlshall be operated, thereby causing` the disk to rotate in an oppositedirection. It is obvious that many modifications of these devices may beadopted without at all attecting thc result, or changing the principleot' its operation.

Fig. 4 represents a transinittiiig-instrument also made on Stoehrersplan, with an improvement ot' my invention added, to adaptit to thepurposes of this invention. L'L are the contact-plates, forming thepoles ot' the battery M, and o o are the two keys, connected one to eachend of the line lip/,and'resting upon a plate, q', upon which they areheld down by a spring underneath their front ends. This implement I haveimproved by the addition of an automatic mechanism eonsistingvof thevertical bar r, easily movable up and down in suitable bearings s s',the lower one of which is provi-ded with a slot of suflicient length topermit the bar r to' move laterally therein from one to the other of thekeys o o', and thereby cause a contact of either of said keys with theplate q. The bar r is held up by a spring, h', and is forced down uponeither of the keys o or o' by the teeth on wheel N, ac-

cording as the latter is turned in one or the. other direction, theteeth pressing against aV roller, u, secured to the-bar r. The wheel ordisk N is provided with a series of numbers,

characters, or signs corresponding with those on theindicating-instrument shown in Fig. 2,

which are brought successively under the index or pointer u secured tobar r, asshown in Fig. 4; or, if preferred, the numbers may be' placedupon a circle or dial surrounding the wheel. N, and an index attached tothe latterand moving with it may thus be made point to any of saidnumbers according as the wheel is rotated.

' It will be observed that, as already described, the index of thereceiving-instrument, Fig. 2, can perform but a single revolution at atime, when it is brought to a fixed position, which always occurs at the4same point, and without regard to the direction in which it is moved.Now, suppose the instrument shown in Fig. 4 to be located at New Yorkcity, and telegraphically.connected with a number of theindicatiiig-instruments shown in Figs. l and 2 located in various citiesor towns in different parts of the country. Suppose, then, that l desireto transmit to these .various points .information in relation to thechanging prices of stocks, goods, grain, or other oommodities,or thechanges of temperature. It isl tirst necessary, in beginning operationsfor the day, that I know positively that the receivinginstruments ateach point shall all agree-that is, that their indexes shall all pointto the same number-and also that I shall have the power ot setting themso that they will thus lwherever they may be located.

A hammer, y, attached to and operated -by rock-shaft F, is arranged tostrike abell or other object, when the receivinginstrument is operating,for the purpose of indicating by sound the number of impulses sent, sothat the attendant can Vascertain the number of the'- changes orvariations, even though he bein a position where he cannot see the dialor indicater. It also serves the additional purpose of' attracting theattention of the attendant whenever the indicator commences to operate.It is obvious that this part of the apparatus may be' arranged in agreat variety of Ways and made to produce the same result, and hence Ido not wish to be understood as conning myself to this specialarrangement of parts for that purpose.

Haviugnow described a mechanism -`that embodiesmy invention and whichserves fully to illustrate the` same, I do not wish to be understood asconfining myself exclusively to the arrangement or use of the variousdevices here shown, as there are many others which Vmay be readilysubstituted for these and made to produce the same results.

Having thus described my invcntion,what

l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat-f latter that their dialsor indexes shall all cease'.

to move or operate at a certain fixed place or character common to themall. y 3.' Transferring themotion of the receivinginstrument latpleasure to an instrument to be operated independentof the indicator, bythe same helix or helices.

4;. The combination of the recording-'cylinder, or its equivalent, withthe indicatingI instrument, arranged and operating substantially as setforth.

5. rllransmitting the com mnnications automatically by a Amechanismdefining the number of electric impulses, their direction and intervals,by a simple manipulation of the attendant, substantially as described.

6. The reversing-gear when arranged to be operated by electricity forthe purpose of antomatically changing the motion of telegraphicmechanism.

CHARLES KIRGHHOF.

Witnesses: v

ERNST A. ADAM, HENRY DEGEL.

